Four years ago, the Business Record launched Fearless. Our goal is simple: We want to empower Iowa women to succeed in work and life. Through our weekly e-newsletter, ongoing print features and events, we have worked to live up to our mission. We’ve told countless stories that have both inspired Read more…
BY HOLLY STEVENSON, DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING, OPTIMAE LIFESERVICES Women in the workplace are feeling increasingly included — the last nine years of countrywide research from McKinsey bears this out. Although these hard-earned gains are encouraging, they are also fragile and require continuous and deliberate efforts from all of us Read more…
Nicole Grundmeier and her newborn daughter are pictured in January 2016. The baby is yawning and has a nursing blister on her upper lip, which can be a sign of a problematic latch. For years, I hid the fact that I was still breastfeeding. As a young woman, I read Read more…
Kara Hoogensen told her co-panelists an uncomfortable statistic. “The fact is, there’s five panelists here on this event today. Odds are, at least one of us is going to go through a period of time during our career where we’re unable to work for a lengthy period of time. And Read more…
Event details:Thursday, April 18 | Noon to 1 p.m. | Virtual | Register for free Wage disparities and differing policies on paid family leave continue to be systemic issues affecting women’s economic standing. On an individual level, women often feel less confident than men when it comes to budgeting, investing and planning for retirement. In our Read more…
BY BRITTANY HEARD, LEAD ADVISER, FOSTER GROUP INC. I’m an introvert. Growing up, I was particularly shy and soft-spoken. Even though I was a good student and a good athlete, I lacked confidence. I was content to remain unnoticed. For years, I didn’t feel like this was a problem. It was just who Read more…
I recently interviewed Jerrica Marshall, executive director of the Directors Council, for a Closer Look feature in the Business Record. The Des Moines-based organization she leads strives to address inequities affecting Black community members in Polk County. In a previous role, she noticed the Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market vendors did Read more…
BY ELEANOR HILDEBRANDT It was a sunny Tuesday in September, less than a week into my Fulbright grant, when I wandered into Madam Anna Ekke, a cafe in Munich, with a new friend. As we perused the menu and I suggested food options, my friend corrected my pronunciation of every Read more…
I was 6 years old [when I started gymnastics], which is actually a little bit older than you hear from a lot of athletes. They’re like, “I started when I was 2 and did the mommy-and-me classes.” But for me, I saw a rerun of the 1984 Olympics. Mary Lou Read more…
Love is not just romantic. Love is the source of everything – the relationships that we build, the reason we get up every morning, why we do what we do for the people who are closest to us. There’s risk with love because you always know that you could get Read more…